


What They Aren't

by ElAlmaDelMar



Series: A/B/O/tober 2020 [4]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Gen, Luffy doesn't have a harem but everyone assumes he does, okay I honestly don't really know how to tag this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26825926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElAlmaDelMar/pseuds/ElAlmaDelMar
Summary: Luffy said, "Join my crew!" and Sanji shook his head and took a long draw of his cigarette."Sounds like fun," he said, a slow drawl that ill suited his lanky teenage self, "but I can't leave. Besides. I'm not really interested in joining your little harem in there."A/B/O/tober Day 4: Harem
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Mugiwara Kaizoku | Strawhat Pirates
Series: A/B/O/tober 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947415
Comments: 12
Kudos: 242
Collections: A/B/O/tober 2020





	What They Aren't

It hadn't really turned into a pattern until Usopp joined them. 

When it was just Zoro and Luffy, an alpha and an omega, it seemed like a perfectly natural thing. People were startled that _Zoro_ was an omega, of course — but that had nothing to do with Luffy and everything to do with Zoro's fearsome reputation. They didn't look askance at an omega calling an alpha 'captain.' That was just the way of the world, wasn't it? 

Nami, by contrast, made perfect sense to everyone as an omega. She didn't get up in anyone's face, certainly didn't fight out in the open, hand to hand and power to power. She _used_ her omega nature, played weak and helpless little thing looking for a big strong protector. It was part of her game. And when she joined up with them, well, sure, maybe a few people would take notice — _look, that dumb kid in the straw hat has_ two _omegas? Lucky kid. What's he packing to have them following him?_ — but it wasn't so very far out of the ordinary. After all, pirate captains — especially young ones — often did prefer betas or omegas on their crew, to avoid dominance fights. 

Though, Nami thought to herself, she was going to need to lose these idiots, and soon. The last thing she wanted was to go into heat around a seventeen-year-old alpha with a little sense as Luffy had, or to be a witness when Zoro did. 

Usopp was the third omega to join the crew. At that point, it was starting to become a _thing_. One teenage alpha with three omegas clustered around him? That looked like far more than a coincidence, for all Luffy seemed barely to notice anyone's gender (primary _or_ secondary) at all. Thankfully, with _Merry_ they now had a proper ship at last, with a space meant for storage that Nami immediately jumped on labeling the heat quarters. At least it could mean putting a closed door between the omega in question and the rest of the crew. 

Sanji was the first to say the word out loud. 

Luffy said, "Join my crew!" and Sanji shook his head and took a long draw of his cigarette.

"Sounds like fun," he said, a slow drawl that ill suited his lanky teenage self, "but I can't leave. Besides. I'm not really interested in joining your little harem in there." 

Luffy's head tilted over to the side, a frown of confusion crossing his face. "They're my nakama," he said, puzzled. "Not a hairy." 

" _Harem._ And what else is it when you've got a pack of omegas all following an alpha like good little sheep? No thank you." 

Of course, Luffy wasn't easily dissuaded, and in the end, Sanji became the fourth omega to join the crew.

* * *

They were sailing away from Cocoyashi Village, Nami now firmly committed as one of them, when the heat quarters first came into use. Sanji had been restless and muttering to himself as early as the celebration party, but as new as he was to the crew, neither Nami nor Usopp had thought much of it, and Zoro had been in too rough of shape to care about much other than drinking after the great bloody wound in his chest had been restitched. 

Luffy — well, who could say what Luffy noticed or didn't notice? He'd been clingy with Sanji all through the party, but everyone assumed it was because Sanji was the one making the food.

Then, bright and early the first morning after they'd set out, Nami wandered out to look for breakfast and found a steaming spread waiting for them, along with a note from Sanji in his absurdly over-elaborate handwriting. 

_Indisposed for the next few days. There are pre-prepared meals in the fridge that should tide everyone over. Please don't let Luffy at them first. And Nami-swan, please don't worry about me at all! I'll be fine!_

"Indisposed, is it?" she muttered aloud, looking around. Merry's little galley was beautifully neat, everything cleaned and put away save for the breakfast spread. It smelled of coffee and fresh pastries and bacon, the scents by far strong enough to cover up anything lingering from their cook. But there was no question in her mind of where he was or why he was "indisposed." Had he really been riding right on the edge of a heat when he went toe-to-toe with Arlong's fishmen for her? 

That was a touching thought. He might be over-the-top courtly toward her, especially when they were both omegas, but he sure as hell kept it up when the going got rough. 

Usopp was the next to come shuffling in to breakfast, and Nami took the opportunity to confirm what she already knew. "Usopp, keep an eye on the food and make sure Luffy doesn't eat it all the moment he wakes up. I'm going to check on Sanji," she said briskly, leaving him to sputter questions about what she meant by that and where was Sanji anyway. 

She headed below and came to the storage room. The sign labeled "heat quarters" in her (excellent, if she said so herself) penmanship decorated a firmly closed door, and she leaned toward it and sniffed. Ah, yes, there it was — the scent that she couldn't pick up in the galley. Sanji's cologne and underlying it, the unmistakable odor of _omega in heat._

… But that wasn't all she smelled, and as she paused there, she heard voices. Voice _s_ , as in plural. As in company. 

"-you really want to help," Sanji was saying, and even through the door she could hear the combination of heat-thickness and fond exasperation in his voice, "then go back up and stay with the others, and don't eat all the food." 

"That's not helping," Luffy said in return, stubborn, and Nami couldn't help a pang of — of what? Discomfort? Unease? Certainly not jealousy. She couldn't pin down the feeling in her chest, but she didn't like it. Luffy was too innocent, too entirely nonsexual, to be caught up in something so… so licentious as screwing Sanji through his heat. 

"Of course it's helping. I won't have to worry about the rest of you starving while I'm down here," Sanji snapped. "That's a big help, idiot. So shoo. Let me deal with this in peace." 

"Do you really want me to go?" Luffy sounded… odd. She'd have said _sad_ if it were anyone else, but Luffy didn't really _do_ sad. He did serious, when the going got really serious — as she'd seen just recently, against Arlong — but such a little thing, especially from Sanji who was always shoving him and telling him to go away…? 

"Really, it's better if I'm by myself," Sanji said, and she thought his tone had gentled too, even through the heat. "Go on, shoo. And don't empty the whole fridge, the food in there needs to last!" 

She heard the thwapping of Luffy's sandals against the floor, and scurried away before he could open it and find her there eavesdropping.

* * *

The next one to run into a heat was Usopp. Unlike Sanji, he was apparently caught completely by surprise by it. He and Luffy were sitting side by side on Merry's rail, ostensibly fishing but more playing with each other than anything else, laughing and singing half-remembered sea shanties and making up their own lyrics and tunes when they couldn't remember how the songs went, or blending them together haphazardly. In other words, a very normal day. 

Then Luffy slung an arm around Usopp's shoulders, letting his fishing pole dangle negligently in the other, and Usopp sat bolt-upright, radiating a sudden freezing panic that drew every eye on deck. 

"W-wait! The Great Captain Usopp needs to — um — to go check on the weapons supplies! Do we have enough powder and shot for the dangers of the Grand Line? I'll go and see!" 

Zoro, leaning against the mast, snorted. "A little late, isn't it? You should'a checked before we left Loguetown." 

"I'm pretty sure you did, actually," Sanji added. "Repeatedly." 

"N-nevertheless!" And before anyone could say anything more, Usopp shoved his fishing rod into Luffy's other hand and bolted for the foc'sle. 

Luffy blinked after him, startled, then drew a slow, deep breath and reeled in both fishing rods, laying them aside before hopping down from the rail to follow Usopp. 

It was on the tip of her tongue for Nami to call out to him and stop him, but Zoro made eye contact with her and shook his head. "Let them sort it out," he said, quiet. "Usopp will decide if he wants Luffy's company or not." He laid a gentle emphasis on the word _company_ , and Nami's mouth dropped in a small 'oh' of realization. _Oh._

And true to form, Luffy was back about ten minutes later, looking slightly baffled but certainly nothing like an alpha who had just been in the presence of a heated-up omega. He strolled out on deck, reclaimed his fishing rod, and settled himself back on the rail as though nothing happened.

* * *

The residents of the cactus-studded town on Whiskey Peak were falling all over themselves to welcome the crew, and Nami didn't trust a bit of it. She laughed with them and played their games — casually pouring away her drinks whenever she could — but she kept her ears and eyes open. 

"Ah, tell us, what kind of accommodations would you like?" she overheard the innkeeper ask Luffy. "I know groups like yours often like to all stay close — is your harem that sort?" 

"My what?" Luffy asked blankly, tilting his head. 

"Your harem," the innkeeper repeated, waving a hand at where Sanji was ingratiating himself with a whole circle of women (and a couple men, too, Nami noted with interest), and Zoro was busy drinking a crowd of his own under the table. "You must be a very accomplished young alpha to have collected so many omegas to call your own. I have a large group room if that's how you prefer to sleep, or individual smaller rooms if your omegas prefer to sleep separately from each other." 

Luffy opened his mouth to respond, and Nami did not even want to _begin_ to guess how he was going to answer that. No matter what, she was certain it would be a disaster. So, grabbing her drink — she knew better than to leave it unattended around these so- _very_ -attentive strangers — she headed over to intercept the conversation. 

"We'll stay together, thanks," she said pointedly. Not because they were a harem — merciful seas, no! — but because she didn't really want them to be all separated out to sleep. Better to stay together where someone could keep watch. Even if they were probably all going to be drunk into a stupor by the time the party was over. 

And yes, there it was. The absolute _procession_ of assumptions flickering clearly behind the innkeeper's eyes at both her interruption and the choice of lodgings. But Luffy stayed mercifully silent, and she waited until the innkeeper had gone to prepare the room for their occupancy before she turned a look on Luffy, ready with a thousand reasons why she butted in and what was going wrong with that conversation and why he should never, _ever_ accept the idea that she'd ever be a member of a _harem_. 

But the words died on her lips when he only smiled widely at her, his expression full of trust. "If Nami says we should stick together, let's stick together," he said, firm and confident. 

_That_ was what made Luffy different from all the other alphas out there, why he could lead a crew of omegas. Because he didn't look at her and see an omega who should obey her alpha captain, but a valued crew member whose decisions he trusted. 

She slung an arm around his shoulders. "We're not your harem," she said firmly. "But we _are_ nakama. Let's watch each other's backs here, okay?"

**Author's Note:**

> KabochaKitsune wrote a [partner fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27003967) to this one! (Warning, it is quite explicit, please read the tags!) 
> 
> Come chat with me on my [Discord server](https://discord.gg/SWVYBBn)!


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